SPRINGFIELD — Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center has broken ground on a new 228,200-square-foot facility to expand its educational capacity in Springfield.
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The expansion is designed to resolve long-standing space limitations that previously forced the school to turn away prospective students.
The new school facility will house 26 career tech programs, 27 classrooms, four science labs, and a central common area.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue emphasized that the project directly addresses growing demand among local youth.
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“CTC is grown to the point where students have been turned away simply because there just isn’t enough space, and they’re answering that today,” Rue said.
The center provides specialized instruction in technical fields such as welding, information technology and health care.
Ed Leventhal, representing A & E Powder Coating and Valco Industries, highlighted the vital role career education plays in filling essential workforce roles.
“Our community needs welders and machinists, fabricators, electricians, technicians, health care professionals, construction workers,” Leventhal said.“That moment when a young person discovers a talent and realizes that talent can become a career changes a life.”
Students currently enrolled in career-technical tracks emphasized the broader benefits of the curriculum.
Corrina Jackson, a senior studying carpentry at Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center, noted that the training extends beyond job-specific preparation.
“Even if it’s not a career path that you stick with, it still gives you life lessons and skills that you’ll be able to use going forward,” Jackson said.
Area students preparing to enter the program expressed enthusiasm for learning in the new space. Raygon Rodgers, a 10th grader at Shawnee High School, is among those planning to attend classes at the updated campus.
“I’m going to be the first senior, one of the first senior class there,” Rodgers said. “I feel glad that I get to be a part of such a great community when I’m there.”
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